WHO and UN agencies said recently that the conflict in Sudan since mid-April has killed more than 600 people and displaced more than 700,000 people.
According to the World Food Programme, up to 2.5 million people in Sudan are expected to go hungry.
The ongoing conflict has made life even more difficult for the people of Khartoum, with food, energy and medical resources on the verge of exhaustion.
The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Force signed a statement in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the 11th, agreeing to give priority to discussions on achieving a short-term ceasefire to provide guarantees for humanitarian activities. However, the statement did not agree on a truce and ceasefire.
Screenshot of CNN report
On the 12th local time, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sudan Pertes welcomed the agreement reached by the warring parties in Sudan, including humanitarian access. In his view, this was a first and important step towards embodying international humanitarian and human rights law.
On the same day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement through the spokesperson's office saying that he welcomed the preliminary agreement reached by the parties to the conflict in Sudan confirming that they would protect civilians and guarantee the safe operation of humanitarian assistance in Sudan.
Screenshot of the official website of the United Nations
Zhu Weidong, a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with the Global Information Radio reporter of the headquarters that although the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rapid support force could not immediately reach an agreement on a ceasefire, judging from the content of the statement, the two sides to the conflict left room for subsequent dialogue and negotiation.
- The agreement on humanitarian relief in the Jeddah Declaration is the result of the efforts of the international community and the response of the parties to the conflict to the voice of the international community and the Sudanese people.
- The conclusion of such an agreement would be conducive to alleviating the very serious humanitarian crisis currently facing the Sudan and to the launching of some relief operations by international humanitarian organizations.
- The Jeddah Declaration is provisional in nature and does not provide a definitive solution to the fundamental differences between the two sides. However, the two sides showed their willingness to negotiate on issues such as the follow-up political process and other issues with greater differences, which paved the way for discussion and the resolution of the conflict.
As the conflict in Sudan escalates, refugees arrive in villages in Chad (Pictured from the official United Nations website)
Zhu Weidong further analyzed that the current conflict has seriously impacted the already fragile Sudanese economy, and the spillover risk of the crisis has already appeared, so it is very necessary to end the conflict as soon as possible.
- The Sudan is one of the least developed countries recognized by the United Nations, with a very homogeneous economic structure, a very weak industrial base, and long-term conflicts and natural disasters, which have further deteriorated the domestic economic situation.
- The conflict has disrupted not only access for international commerce, but also infrastructure and a large number of refugees. In particular, the United States continues to impose sanctions on Sudan, which has further deteriorated Sudan's economic situation.
- From the current trend, spillover risks are inevitable. The first is the issue of refugees, which have been pouring into Egypt, South Sudan and Chad in recent days. In addition, the conflict will further strain the security situation in the surrounding areas, which may lead to more cross-border crime problems, which will have a very negative impact on the security situation and social and economic development of neighboring countries.